[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 142 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45601-45602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18638]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6839-4]


Regulatory Reinvention (XL) Pilot Projects

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Project XL Draft Final Project 
Agreement for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater 
Chicago.

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SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments on a Draft Project XL Final Project 
Agreement (FPA) for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of 
Greater Chicago (hereafter ``The District''). The FPA is a voluntary 
agreement developed collaboratively by the District, the Illinois EPA, 
USEPA and interested stakeholders. Project XL, announced in the Federal 
Register on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282), gives regulated entities the 
flexibility to develop alternative strategies that will replace or 
modify specific regulatory or procedural requirements on the condition 
that they produce greater environmental benefits. EPA has set a goal of 
implementing fifty XL projects undertaken in full partnership with the 
states.
    In the draft FPA, the District's proposed project consists of four 
interrelated components.
    The first is a request to EPA and IEPA for regulatory flexibility 
with regard to its obligation under the General Pretreatment 
Regulations to provide regulatory oversight to small Categorical 
Industrial Users (CIUs) into the District's WRPs. This flexibility will 
allow the District to reallocate currently committed resources to other 
activities with greater potential for environmental benefit.
    Second, the District proposes that its Pretreatment Program Annual 
Report be revised to include detailed information regarding 
environmental performance that is not currently required in the Annual 
Report. To offset the District's commitment to include this additional 
information in its Annual Report, detailed oversight information 
regarding SIUs will be limited to only the population of SIUs that were 
found in significant noncompliance at any time during the report year.
    Third, to further promote the objectives of the Strategic Goals 
Program (SGP), the District will create Strategic Performance 
Partnerships (Partnerships) with metal finishing facilities that fully 
achieve the individual facility goals outlined in the SGP. Under these 
Partnerships, the District will work cooperatively with demonstrated 
sector leaders to develop, test, and implement alternative measurement 
systems for demonstrating environmental performance.
    Fourth, the District proposes to address non-regulated priority 
pollutants that may be of concern on a local scale by developing Toxic 
Reduction Action Plans (TRAPs). Under TRAPs, an interagency task force 
(District, EPA and Illinois EPA) will use existing environmental data 
(i.e., District emissions data and multi-agency ambient environmental 
monitoring data) to identify priority pollutants which are documented 
to be present in quantities or concentrations that may be a risk to the 
District's facilities or the ambient environment but not currently 
subject to regulation, and rank these pollutants in order of 
importance. As resources become available through the regulatory 
flexibility described above, the District will attempt to reduce 
discharges and emissions of these pollutants through a variety of non-
traditional strategies such as pollution prevention outreach and 
consumer education programs. The site specific rulemaking setting forth 
the specific regulatory flexibility to be implemented will be developed 
and will ensure that the project will fully comply with applicable 
federal requirements under the Clean Water Act.

DATES: The period for submission of comments ends on August 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments on the proposed Final Project Agreement should 
be sent to:
    Matthew Gluckman, USEPA, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 
60604, or Chad Carbone, U.S. EPA, Room 1027WT (1802), 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460. Comments may also be faxed to Mr. 
Gluckman (312) 886-7804, or Mr. Carbone (202) 260-1812. Comments may 
also be received via electronic mail sent to: [email protected] 
or [email protected].

[[Page 45602]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the proposed Final 
Project Agreement or Fact Sheet, contact: Matthew Gluckman, USEPA, 77 
West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604 or Chad Carbone, Room 1027WT 
(1802) U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460. The 
FPA and related documents are also available via the Internet at the 
following location: http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL. Questions to EPA 
regarding the documents can be directed to Matthew Gluckman at (312) 
886-6089 or Chad Carbone at (202) 260-4296. For information on all 
other aspects of the XL Program contact Christopher Knopes at the 
following address: Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, United 
States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 
Room 1029WT (Mail Code 1802), Washington, DC 20460. Additional 
information on Project XL, including documents referenced in this 
notice, other EPA policy documents related to Project XL, regional XL 
contacts, application information, and descriptions of existing XL 
projects and proposals, is available via the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL.

    Dated: July 18, 2000.
Christopher Knopes,
Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Policy, Economics and 
Innovation.
[FR Doc. 00-18638 Filed 7-21-00; 8:45 am]
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